Blog Response 4

By saying that “Irony, humor, and subversion are the most common guises and disguises of those artists leaping out of the melting pot and into the fire,” Lippard is saying that artists use these elements in their artwork to draw attention to social issues. The “melting pot” refers to the idealized vision of America as a place where all sorts of people come and live together, regardless of background or social category. There is also an implied equality in this vision. It is often discussed as truth, while many in minority categories don’t feel that they are not actually living “together,” and they are certainly not experiencing equality. Many people go along with this anyways, not because they want to, but because it’s just easier. However, what may be easier action-wise is not always easier conscience-wise, and I feel there is a tipping point where artists must, as Lippard says, leap into the fire. They can no longer stay silent about what they know to be true, so they jump into the “fire,” which is different in each situation, but in each case is likely to be something that is keeping a social category into which the artist falls in a state of oppression or discomfort.
An example seen in the text is the work of Masami Teraoka. His works use a bit of humor and, I feel, a bit more subversion to get his points across. He paints in traditional-like styles, but subverts their meaning but painting satire of western society. He shows that the west has caused many problems for the rest of the world (whether or not that is true, it is his point). His work takes a very serious topic - HIV/AIDS - and makes it into something to laugh at.